This invention relates generally to washing machines and, more particularly, to methods and apparatus for detecting a load placement condition within washing machines.
Conventional clothes treating apparatus, such as washing machines and drying machines, include a cabinet that houses a tub for containing a quantity of water and/or cleaning fluid, and a perforated basket positioned within the tub configured to receive a load of articles for cleaning, such as clothes and/or household fabrics. A drive and motor assembly is mounted within the cabinet for rotating the basket within the tub. A pump assembly pumps water from the tub to a drain during a cleaning cycle.
Unbalanced load placement conditions may occur within the wash basket during a cleaning cycle. The unbalanced load within the basket may result in undesirable vibration and/or noise. At least one conventional clothes treating apparatus performs a correction process upon detecting the unbalanced load placement condition. However, such correction processes may not effectively reduce or eliminate an unbalanced load situation without detecting a weight and/or a placement or location of the unbalanced load.